Stagestruck: Theater, Aids, and the Marketing of Gay America

By Sarah Schulman

Book Overview

In Stagestruck noted novelist and outspoken critic Sarah Schulman offers an account of her growing awareness of the startling similarities between her novel People in Trouble and the smash Broadway hit Rent. Written with a powerful and personal voice, Schulman's book is part gossipy narrative, part behind-the-scenes glimpse into the New York theater culture, and part polemic on how mainstream artists co-opt the work of "marginal" artists to give an air of diversity and authenticity to their own work. Rising above the details of her own case, Schulman boldly uses her suspicions of copyright infringement as an opportunity to initiate a larger conversation on how AIDS and gay experience are being represented in American art and commerce.
Closely recounting her discovery of the ways in which Rent took materials from her own novel, Schulman takes us on her riveting and infuriating journey through the power structures of New York theater and media, a journey she pursued to seek legal restitution and make her voice heard. Then, to provide a cultural context for the emergence of Rent--which Schulman experienced first-hand as a weekly theater critic for the New York Press at the time of Rent's premiere--she reveals in rich detail the off- and off-off-Broadway theater scene of the time. She argues that these often neglected works and performances provide more nuanced and accurate depictions of the lives of gay men, Latinos, blacks, lesbians and people with AIDS than popular works seen in full houses on Broadway stages. Schulman brings her discussion full circle with an incisive look at how gay and lesbian culture has become rapidly commodified, not only by mainstream theater productions such as Rent but also by its reduction into a mere demographic made palatable for niche marketing. Ultimately, Schulman argues, American art and culture has made acceptable a representation of "the homosexual" that undermines, if not completely erases, the actual experiences of people who continue to suffer from discrimination or disease. Stagestruck's message is sure to incite discussion and raise the level of debate about cultural politics in America today.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0822321327
• ISBN13: 9780822321323
• Release Date: September 1998
• Publisher: Duke University Press
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.94 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.3" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Insightful and challenging

Sarah Schulman is a pioneer in the world of lesbian fiction. Schulman has written countless articles, novels, and non-fiction, yet still maintains her edge.It doesn't matter whether or not RENT was taken from the pages of "People in Trouble." I think that is beside the point, even for Schulman. She uses her own personal experience to discuss the broader issues that face our society, and the gay movement as a whole.Looking for "proof" for what Schulman suggests in her text? Proof can be found in our own lives as gay people: from the patriarchal system of gender roles and power that dominate our society, to the pandering for gay votes and gay money. Further proof exists in the writings of such scholars as Gayle Rubin and Urvashi Vaid, among others. Schulman's book should be used as a jumping off point for other things. The book itself is call to re-examine our inner homophobia, our subconscious desire to be "normal," and our ability to be manipulated by the mainstream. If one cannot recognize these things in one's daily life, then one is not looking.Schulman shares TRUTH and, although that is hard for some to deal with, who's going to do it, if she doesn't.

Bold look at a tough topic!

Blunt, well written, and not afraid to step on some toes! Ms. Schulman gives us a front-row view of the way our profit-crazed popular culture operates at the turn of the century. With all the sycophantic praise that has been heaped on RENT, it was high time someone looked at the darker side of what this show represents. This is crucial reading for anyone interested in the commercial arts (theatre, film, publisheing, etc.)and the way they can cynically co-opt a minority's viewpoint to fit their needs.

Riveting, well-written work of cultural criticism

Schulman has the uncanny ability to: a) tell a personal story about the plagiarism of her work, her attempts for resolution, her experiences as a woman, a lesbian, an author in the fight against AIDS; b) write an insightful account of the state of the commercial theatre -- a late '90s version of the type of essay Miller and Albee wrote 40-50 years ago; c) create a remarkable context for unmasking homophobia and explaining the cultural position of gays and lesbians in contempory America; and d) give the reader something that's both challenging and easy to read. I found it to be entirely engaging and incredibly smart.I am also one of the many people who saw "Rent" on Broadway during the week it won the Tony, and I'm not ashamed to say, I loved it. But a year or so later, when it came to LA, I took a couple of friends and saw it again -- and I have to admit, it seemed fake, packaged, forced. In her role as a critic, apart from her personal connection to the show, Schulman explains why parts of "Rent" seem false. She puts into words some of the fleeting, troubling thoughts I couldn't articulate for myself.I'm an English professor and I teach drama -- I intend to use "Stagestruck" in future courses.

Sheer genius

Obviously the person here who has given this book two stars TWICE is very threatened by the book. Despite his claims of finding it dull and badly written, he's drawn back to read and review the book again! Sounds like Ms. Schulman struck a nerve!This is a historic book about the commodification and fetishization of marginal experience. It's also a helluva good read -- alternately brilliant, trashy, gossipy, and academic.

An Extraordinary Look at Contemporary Culture

Sarah Schulman's inspiring and inspired book looks at the gross ways in which genuine American experience is corrupted and commodified by unoriginal, shrewd writers. The book is the story of the musical RENT but it is so much more -- an accessible but intellectually rigorous look at contemporary playwriting, a heartbreaking narrative about the loss of the artist culture in New York City's East Village, and an entirely compelling personal memoir about the difficulties of being a moral artist in amoral times. This is a heartbreaker, a must-read for anyone who cares about books and art.The first review posted here is by a white male who feels offended by Schulman's challenging of dominant authorities and conventional and patriarchal narratives. This is an unfortunate and in my view invalid response; it's about time marginalized people get to tell their stories.